Excellence in Entrepreneurship: Founder Showcase

Participants present their progress, lessons learned, and next steps to a room full of government officials, experienced entrepreneurs, and community leaders.

The Founder Showcase will include:

• Updated elevator pitch
• Key business/customer insights
• Lessons learned
• Progress made during the program
• Audience “ask”
• Celebration of participant progress

Meet your Presenters:

Brian Bedrick is a pioneering innovation ecosystem leader, incubator leader, and former founder with over three decades of cross-industry experience scaling early-stage ventures and expanding international networks. He founded and led an EdTech startup that provided data visualization and predictive analytics for schools in over 30 countries and his experience also includes roles as a nuclear engineer, leader of product management teams at GE and AT&T, and head of research and development for a global nonprofit. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, an MBA from Rollins College, and spent several years living in Belgium and The Netherlands before returning to the US.

Rafael Caamano helps startups grow, scale, and succeed while driving innovation and measurable economic impact across diverse entrepreneurial ecosystems. As the Interim Executive Director of the UCF Business Incubation Program and Innovation Districts, he works with high-potential founders, university leadership, and public-sector partners to accelerate company growth and strengthen the regional innovation pipeline. Rafael focuses on connecting businesses to what matters most: strategic partnerships, funding pathways, and the networks needed to move from early traction to sustainable scale, while collaborating with executive stakeholders, community leaders, and founders to drive outcomes that include business expansion, job creation, and long-term economic development.